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Pee-wee Herman is bringing his bow tie back -- to Netflix. Netflix announced it will premiere "Pee-wee's Big Holiday," starring Paul Reubens as the odd and exuberant titular character, exclusively in all of its territories. No debut date is set, but production is slated to begin early this year. The pic, originally in development at Universal, is being produced by Judd Apatow ("Anchorman," "Bridesmaids") and Reubens. "Pee-wee's Big Holiday" is helmed by John Lee ("Broad City," "Inside Amy Schumer"), marking his feature-film directorial debut. Reubens and Paul Rust ("Arrested Development," "Inglourious...

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Pee-wee Herman is bringing his bow tie back -- to Netflix.
Netflix announced it will premiere "Pee-wee's Big Holiday," starring Paul Reubens as the odd and exuberant titular character, exclusively in all of its territories. No debut date is...

As Sony made the decision Wednesday to scrap the Dec. 25 release of “The Interview,” casual observers found themselves asking some logical how-could-this-happen questions. A broad and benign Seth Rogen comedy causes an international incident that...

Walking out of a cramped, stuffy United Center boardroom two weeks ago, Michelle Harris told me that when she was younger and growing up in Chicago, "I dreamed of being a part of corporate America." She said this unequivocally, without a hint of...

The epic life of Lyndon Baines Johnson can be measured in many ways, but to me, the relevant unit is pages — 3,500 and counting.
This year, a half-century after the wily Texan ascended to the White House in the wake of John F. Kennedy's assassination,...

Slavery drama "12 Years a Slave" and 1970s con-artist caper "American Hustle" led the Golden Globe Awards nominations announced on Thursday with seven nods each, fortifying their frontrunner positions ahead of the Oscars.
In the...

Make no small plans.
Said Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Probably. Certainly, at some point, in the mid-1970s, while the Chilean filmmaker was trying to get his gargantuan Hollywood adaptation of Frank Herbert's science-fiction novel "Dune" off the...

Milwaukee Repertory Theater in Wisconsin announced its 2014-15 season on Wednesday. The subscription lineup includes 11 productions, two of which are world premieres. The season kicks off with “The Doyle & Debbie Show” (Sept. 5 - Nov. 2) in the...

Oscar-nominated or not, a screenplay remains a halfway thing until it goes before the cameras. Similarly, a movie is only a movie until the post-screening discussion, whether that discussion takes place in your head, alone, or with strangers in a room. At...

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — If you’re curious about the big difference between Oscar night’s two main after-parties, the Governors Ball and the Vanity Fair party, consider this:
The buzzy happening at the Governors Ball, the academy’s official...

Universal Pictures' Afghanistan war drama "Lone Survivor" stormed movie theaters over the weekend, while "The Legend of Hercules" debuted to less-than-legendary results.
"Lone Survivor," based on Marcus Luttrell's...

Jonah Hill had an unremarkable Oscar Sunday. Perhaps you heard: He won nothing; he did nothing. He woke up early and drove to a Starbucks in the suburbs outside Naperville, where he bought a coffee, then he drove home and shoveled the snow from his...

When one or more of the seven writers nominated for best original screenplay rises next Sunday to accept the Academy Award, he or she will thank a bunch of people, but not Ben Hecht. Hecht is mostly forgotten now, in Hollywood and Chicago, two very...

A month from now, you’ll be fully given over to the Olympics.
And if the International Olympic Committee, NBC, the NHL and Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have their way, you’ll be watching the United States and Canada play their ways to the gold-medal...

Red Tape Theatre, a 10-year home of experimental theater in Chicago, said last week that it has lost the lease to its longtime theater inside the St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lakeview. The Church is going in a different direction, apparently. That's...

LONDON — The early months of a new year tend to be something of a frozen tundra for London theater — but 2014 has already seen some green shoots and the spring season looks set to be lush.
That said, the best of the openings so far have been as bleak...

We won't have to wait long to see what kind of final decisions Oscar voters will be making out of Thursday's Oscar nominations. This weekend brings the Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild awards, with the Directors Guild following on Jan. 25. Those...

As long as this Chicago winter might feel, it's a mere blip compared with the ongoing movie awards season.
The Movie City News website runs a column called "20 Weeks to Oscar," which translates to about 38 percent of the year — yet if you count...

The Chicago Children's Theatre had a very quiet fall. But this weekend's opening, a world premiere, is designed to attract national attention.
Titled "Mr. Chickee's Funny Money," the new family musical bowing Friday night is based on the 2007...